Computer tech question...

[Laurabearz]

My laptop is slowly dieing... and I am planning on getting a desktop this go around (although I LOVE my laptop)

Anyway... I currently have 1 gig ram and a 54mbps dsl connection. If I up it to 4 gigs ram, with the same 54mbps connection, will VMK run any faster? or are my 'lag' issues still going to be there even with 3 more gigs of memory?

Will I be able to run 2 windows and not lag so bad that it's pointless to have 2 windows open??

Or do I need to win the lottery and get a T1 connection

 

[fantasymooma]

This is OT but... I just "glove" your sig!! LoL That guy has like hour long commercials on TV. Whenever my family and I go down to FL. that's the first thing we see as soon as we turn on the TV. When we see that we know we are in FL!

 

[mtlhddoc2]

RAM is only one component of computing - 1 gig of ram should be sufficient - your real speed increase will come from getting a better processor and video card - it might help for display and computing pirposes, but the DSL will kill you every time - if you can switch to cable for little or no cost increase, I would recommend it. DSL tops out at about 65mbps, while my cable connection is 10gbps (a standard cable connection is 3gbps currently - still about 50x faster than standard DSL) - for terminology sake I will explain the difference - mbps is one megabit persecond (do not confuse with megaBYTE - 8 bits equals one byte) - gbps is gigabits per second - one giga = 1024 mega

transmission speeds are always counted in BITS not in BYTES, whereas hard drive space and ram are always counted in BYTES not BITS

So, with all that info - if you have a 54mbps connection, then you have 54 megaBITS per second of download speed - so if you were to download a 54 megaBYTE file, in theory, it should take only 8 seconds. HOWEVER, you also have to factor in the other persons upload speed (upload and download speeds are NOT the same) - break on a tangent again: typical DSL only has about a 10mbps upload speed whereas cable internet typically have 500mbps or 1 gbps uploads (I have an upgraded internet so I have 3gbps uploads) - end tangent..

Then you also have to figure in the speeds of the networks which your download is travelling through..


did I confuse you yet? Sorry...

Anyway, upgrading your PC will help with stability but will not much affect up and downloads which is technically what VMK is doing constantly with your computer - the best thing you could do is upgrade to cable internet, even if you kept your current laptop

oh... on another note, are you using your laptop wirelessly?

 

[Laurabearz]

This is OT but... I just "glove" your sig!! LoL That guy has like hour long commercials on TV. Whenever my family and I go down to FL. that's the first thing we see as soon as we turn on the TV. When we see that we know we are in FL!

We love him too! And also hunt him down when ever we are in WDW. Sad isnt it...

It's so bad that I search him out... here is a link to all their comernicals!
http://www.appliancedirect.com/main/ipod.asp

Ok back to the question at hand...

 

[Laurabearz]

I am using my laptop wirelessly....

I just looked into cable WOWIE ZOWIE they want 50 bucks a month!! Or in other words the free VMK would cost me 30 bucks a month for cable... not sure if it's worth it.... lol

 

[Laurabearz]

See this what has me confused... they are saying 6 or 8 Mbps, while I am currently running 54.0 Mbps, both with Little b's....

Performance (6 Mbps)
premium movie network(s) included.
Stop crawling the web and start burning rubber with our Performance (6 Mpbs) service! And now with PowerBoost™, our fast connection gets even faster, with an extra burst of speed up to 12 Mbps when you’re downloading large files like videos and games. You’ll also get free tools like McAfee® security software to keep all your info and computer safe. And with Comcast.net, you’ll get amazing free content and features like The Fan™ Video Player, your one-stop source for the best online video. Promotional Rate is $19.99/month for 4 month(s), ongoing price is $42.95/month

+ See All Features
+ See Terms and Conditions $19.99
Add to CartRemove


Performance Plus (8 Mbps)
premium movie network(s) included.
Stop crawling the web and start burning rubber with our Performance Plus (8 Mpbs) service! And now with PowerBoost™, our fast connection gets even faster, with an extra burst of speed up to 12 Mbps when you’re downloading large files like videos and games. You’ll also get free tools like McAfee® security software to keep all your info and computer safe. And with Comcast.net, you’ll get amazing free content and features like The Fan™ Video Player, your one-stop source for the best online video. Promotional Rate is $29.99/month for 4 month(s), ongoing price is $52.95/month

+ See All Features
+ See Terms and Conditions $29.99
Add to

 

[.:PDAZ:.]

In my opinion, I think a faster DSL connection would make more difference than more RAM. I have 54 mbps on my laptop (wireless) and 1GB of ram as well and VMK is reasonably fast. However most of the time I use a cable, VMK is a lot faster that way, except for the fact my cable's clip is broken and it keeps falling out. I literally have to attach it to it with a rubber band LOL.
I also have a Duo Core and a G Router.

 

[Bugdozer]

Hi,

I all ready told Bearz this but I will post here for others. I recently upgraded my desktop from 1 gig ram to 2 1/2. I have cable internet. VMK has always run great for me except when they have their usual problems.
The difference I am finding with the extra memory is I can run 2 windows of VMK, have MSN open, have 4 internet windows open on Firefox, have paint open and even print and no problems with any of it and no low memory warning.

I could NEVER go back to anything but Cable internet. It is worth every penny to me as I can't stand the frustration of waiting for windows to load. We also have 2 desktops and 2 wireless computers-4 total running most of the time at the same time.


Bug

WOOT! Post 1000!

 

[Maleficent2]

In my neighborhood the DSL and Cable are running neck and neck...

I pay 42.95 a month for DSL and my upload is 434.4

download is 785.6

http://www.bellsouth.com/consumer/atlas/dsl.html?CMP=KNC-Google-Con

I can tell you even with our new middle of the road laptop I can tell a considerable difference in performance with VMK from our old Desk Top.

I would suggest nothing less than a dual processor and a better graphics/video card.

Here on the specs on our Laptop:

HP
AMD Turion 64 Mobile ML-34
787 MHz, 896 MB of Ram
ATI Radeon Express 200M ( not great but ok) Will probably upgrade this to soon to a ATI Radeon 512 mb card


the Desk Top is 4 years old and has always been fast for it age but the lap top blows it out of the water ... I am looking to add another laptop before the end of the year( I hope)

Want a Dual processor and a better graphics card in it.

 

[DaraAllen]

Bears, although they might advertise at 54 mps, you are not running at 54 mps. Depends on how many times things are split, how stable your satiellite is, the quality of the cable from the dish to your router, you name it.

I have comcast hi-speed internet, and I pay about $50 a month for it. I have a laptop with 1.6ghz clock speed (a new desktop would be twice that, easily), dual processors, and 1GB of RAM. Most new machines, especially desktops, would come with twice my RAM and better video cards. I can easily run two VMK windows and a bunch of other stuff. Yes, I will sometimes crash, but it's mostly good.

If you are going to invest in a new PC, and use the internet for more than VMK, then, yes, go to cable. It's much less fickle than DSL, better throughput, etc. If all you are doing is VMK, well, yes you are right, $30 a month net difference may be silly.

Having said that, I could not live without high speed internet! Oh, and BTW, a T-1 line is major overkill!

Dara

 

[mtlhddoc2]

for me, there is no real difference in price for cable or DSL - except that I pay an extra $10 a month for upgraded services - here in RI Verizon DSL is 29.99 a month and Cox cable internet is 39.99 - but if you bundle it is $10 off per month, so it is a wash for me - since you are using wireless, check the type of router you have, if it is over 1 year old, you probably have a "B" router, which only transfers about 40% of your network speed over to you computer - if you upgrade to a "G" router, you will transfer 85-90% - a G router is about $40-$50 - when you buy a new computer, I would say, stick with teh laptop if you like it, there is little difference between desktops and laptops as far as price. Also, make sure you go with the Intel Duo-core processor, there is nothing better on teh market for laptops no matter what anyone might say - it blows away anything AMD has ever put out - by far.

If you can - avoid Vista at all costs - it is a train wreck.

as far as RAM goes - I only have 1 gig in my desktop - 3.2ghz processor, with a 256mb geoForce Vid card - I can run up to 5 VMK windows at once before I start to see network degredation (the PC could probably do 10 windows, but the cable internet cannot handle that) - for example, I can only do 3 windows if the laptop has 2 VMK windows open - I also, always, have MS Outlook and MS Excel running as well, and sometimes AIM, Paint or other programs - processor means more than ram in many situations and some computers will not even recognize more than a certain ammout of ram - old Win2k computers will not recognize (in Windows programming) more than 1GB of RAM - do the research on the PC you buy before you plunk down the $1k

 

[Laurabearz]

Sadly the laptop is dying and I have had issues with all my laptops overheating... so I am really leaning towards a desk top.

I am currently running Intell Pentium 4cpu 3.20 GHz 3.19GHz 1 gb ram

I have no idea how to find out what Vidoe card etc I have


As far as avoiding Vista... It's now on ALL new computers whether you want it or not. lol

 

[mtlhddoc2]

Laura,

we had some of those same issues with overheating laptops, until now - we bought a new Toshiba Satellite w/ Duocore at BestBuy ($1,000 flat with a $200 instant rebate) and I can honestly say, aside from the Vista issues, it is the best laptop I have ever owned (we have had 3 Dells, 2 HPs and a Compaq in the last 3 years) - it barely even gets warm, much less overheat.

 

[Laurabearz]

I have spent years developing a fool proof cooling system for my laptops (and all of them have all overheated lol)

Here is my latest set up

I have my old belt from a robe soaked in water (not dripping) with an ice pack, in addtion the whole laptop is suspended in the air with a fan blowing underneath it....

Works great!

 

[mtlhddoc2]

with that setup, you might as well have a desktop!

We have the Toshiba Satellite A135 series - it is on my lap now, been on for about 10 hours and is still cool to the touch even though it is 85 degrees out

 

[Maleficent2]

I use a cooling pad and have no issues at all with overheating.

Leave it on all day sometimes and it is actually cooler than my desk top.


http://www.nextag.com/laptop-cooling-pad/search-html

 

[Laurabearz]

Yeah, I have tried those Mal... but they have failed me... this puppy HEATS UP... it can melt an ice pack in 30 minutes!

 

[leafygreen]

Just want to share my experience, I have a similar notebook from HP...and also be sure that you're not blocking the heatsink vent (normally in back or side).

Get a cooling fan with a metal surface and have the notebook directly touch the cooling fan surface. Then have the fans on whenever the notebook gets hot. It is a known fact that air is not a good heat transfer element but metal is, as long as the metal surface is sufficiently cooled then no problems. I've had this setup since I got my notebook with no overheating problems, it takes about ten minutes and my notebook surface is much cooler. The only times it has gotten really hot is on the hottest days of summer. Even then I have not experienced any crashing or other problems due to heat.

My cooling fan is one from Antec, but any reputable metal cooling fan will do. If you really do need a new computer, like others have said get a Intel Core Duo or higher processor, it will definitely be cooler, if not faster since speeds are subjective. Plus get at least 1.5gb of memory.

 

[Laurabearz]

OK well my cooling system works, and it's amusing. I have no need for a new cooling system. Really. My laptop should not be getting as hot as it is.

Why is it hot... main reason OLD battery... heck it barely holds a charge (cant by a new one because well apparently my 4 YO computer is obsolte) I am sure it's a fire hazzard lol...... ask bug how many hoops I had to jump through to get a new power cord for it. The HP website barely acknowleges this computer ever even exisited in the first place.

Also the last cooling plate I used (one of the ones shown in Mal's link) worked so well my computer buckled the laminate off the table it was sitting on.

OH yeah My computer is more Lava than Aengus and Cardinal combinded. (almost but not quite approaching the level of Lavaness Briar and Roll's)

But this is not a thread about how hot my laptop gets (although I dragged it in that direction lol) Its a thread about whether or not upping my RAM and processor will speed up my playing issues with VMK, because I am consideing buying a NEW computer.

Thanks though for all the cooling suggestions.

 

[wdeversole]

(almost but not quite approaching the level of Lavaness Briar and Roll's)

WOW !!! That is one RED HOT laptop computer !!!